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Masters must treat their slaves justly and fairly. {You who are masters must do this} because you know that you too serve a Master{, one who is} in heaven.2 Pray {to God} persistently. Pay attention when you pray, and give thanks {to God}. 3 When you are praying, pray for us too. {Pray} that God will make it possible for us to freely proclaim our message, which is the secret about the Messiah that we now share with others. Because {we proclaimed} this message, I am now in prison. 4 {Pray} that I am able to explain the good news clearly, since this is what God has called me to do.
5 Behave wisely around those who do not believe in the Messiah. Take advantage of every opportunity {you have to do this}. 6 {When you talk with them,} you must always speak in a pleasant and interesting way. {When you do this,} you will know the best way to respond to each person.
7 Tychicus will tell you everything that has been happening to me. {He is} a fellow believer whom I love, who helps me faithfully, and who serves together with me as a man whom God has united to the Lord. 8 I am sending Tychicus to you {with this letter} because I want you to know how we are doing and because Tychicus will help you live confidently. 9 {I am sending him to you} with Onesimus, who is a faithful fellow believer whom I love. He is from your group. Tychicus and Onesimus will tell you about everything {that has been happening} here.
10 Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, and Mark, who is Barnabas’ cousin, send their regards to you. You already know that you should welcome Mark if he visits you. 11 Jesus, whom you may know by the name Justus, also {sends his regards}. These men{—Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus—}are the only Jewish believers who are working with me for the sake of God’s kingdom. They have encouraged me {in this work}. 12 Epaphras, who is from your group {and} who serves the Messiah Jesus, sends his regards to you. He prays earnestly for you very often. {He prays} that God will make you able to be what God has called you to be and to be sure of everything that God wants {you to do}. 13 {You know that he prays this way for you} because I can personally affirm this about him. {I tell you} that he works very hard for you, for the people {who live} in the city of Laodicea, and for the people {who live} in the city of Hierapolis. 14 Luke the doctor, whom I love, and Demas send their regards to you.
15 Give our regards to the fellow believers who live in Laodicea, to Nympha, and to the group of believers {that meets} in Nympha’s home. 16 After the person who reads this letter to you finishes it, send {it to Laodicea} so that someone can read it to the group of believers there, too. Also, {ask for} the letter I sent to the believers in Laodicea so that you too can read it. 17 {You must} tell Archippus to make sure that he completes the task that God gave him to do when God united him to the Messiah.
18 I, Paul, send my regards {to you}. I am writing {these last words} myself {instead of having my scribe write them}. You must not forget that I am in prison. {I pray that God will} be gracious to you.